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‘The Rook’ 1×08 Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the End

The Rook season one finale set Myfanwy free from her past, Linda Farrier on an unexpected path to protect EVA’s, and Monica in an unpredictable and dangerous situation similar to Myfanwy’s in episode one. All together, this finale delivered on everything that it had built up over eight episodes and only left me wanting more Myfanwy/Gestalt, because you can never have to much of them!

So, without further ado, here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of The Rook‘s final chapter in season one! Here’s hoping that Starz gets cracking on season 2 and gives us more of these fabulous women and the journey’s they’re all on!

The Good

We’re not going to pussyfoot around. We’re proud of Myfanwy, who she has become, and the lengths she will go to protect stranger EVA’s and Linda Farrier. And it’s all been part of her journey, our journey, all season long where we saw her develop from woman who woke up alone and scared to woman who took down the one responsible party for hurting those like her.

Keeping all of that in mind, my wish that things happened a little faster for Myfanwy, has gone straight out the window. I understand why her journey had to take these twists and turns in every episode and why we had to join in her confusion and angst as she tried to uncover her true self. It was to get to this point where the Lugat head would be destroyed by her and where she made peace with her past without forgetting it all.

True she doesn’t have her memories back, but she knows who she is, where she came from, and the path that she’s on now. And that kind of makes everything that happened to Myfanwy worthwhile. Because you can’t run away from pain or the past that’s tangled up in it. Doing so just leaves you looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Myfanwy isn’t looking over her shoulder anymore…for now, at least.

Myfanwy knows who she is. She’s an EVA with the power to kill. She’s a Rook at the Checquy. She’s a friend to Ingrid. She’s a companion/lover to the Gestalt. She’s a sister to Bronwyn. She’s a strangers saving grace. And she’s a mentee to Linda Farrier. Myfanwy is all of these and so much more and without this journey over 8 episodes we wouldn’t be in the position we are now with the Myfanwy in front of us.

It makes it all worthwhile and a journey that I would take all over again.

The Bad

Linda Farrier being under the bad section of this review isn’t necessarily a bad thing. She killed it; her the actress and her as the character. And the reason why Linda is under the bad of this review is because A) she’s a badass and B) her being captured (even for a couple hours before she was busted out by Myfanwy and the Gestalt) speaks of the danger coming to all EVA’s and the Checquy now that she isn’t King.

On the badass front, Linda is now on the run with the person that she helped imprison. What a twist that is! And it’s not because Linda has nowhere else to go. This woman has options and has been in the game long enough to survive on her own. She ends up going with Myfanwy’s sister because the Checquy is more important than ever to EVA’s who would otherwise be sold by the vultures/animals who traffic humans for millions. The Checquy means home, security, and family to Linda and she will do what she must to protect Myfanwy and the other EVA’s.

Linda sees a way to change things for the better when she looks at The Resistance. They are the shining light in the darkness that cares for EVA’s and wants to keep them safe. And if anything else, she wants to be part of that. That’s why she told Myfanwy to blame it all on her. Linda isn’t going to be the King or be in the same position she was in before. Instead Linda is adapting and taking care of her family while she finds a different way to save EVA’s.

On a major sidenote, the fact that Linda was captured in the first place speaks volumes of the Checquy, EVA’s, the Lugat, and the changing political atmosphere for them all. The Lugat saw a weakness in the Checquy and took full advantage of that when they captured Linda. And they depended on politics to keep them safe after fucking everyone over and selling Linda and Myfanwy on the slave trade. Good thing that politics couldn’t stop the Gestalt, who proved that no matter what the Lugat thinks it can get away with, these people are family and no one gets left behind.

What comes next for all of them, including Linda Farrier, is a shuffling of power, influence, and who is on top now that the Checquy is under review and the Lugat were attacked on Russian diplomatic soil. And here’s hoping the new head honcho is Conrad or someone as equally dedicated to EVA’s and the work done to protect them from others that would treat them like animals.

The Ugly

Honestly, I feel like we lost sight of Monica Reed as the season went on. She did come into The Rook like a wrecking ball, setting her own rules and doing whatever the fuck she wanted. And maybe the way she ended things in the season finale speaks to the kind of woman she already is…but I wanted something more. Nevertheless, this finale set the stage for great/crazy/and out there things to come for Monica.

The pain of Marcus treating her as a mark instead of a lover really stings this EVA. Doesn’t matter if it’s months or years later, love and betrayal like that stays with you and tears you apart if you don’t keep an eye on it. Monica, who presents herself as someone who NEVER ever lets anyone close, let Marcus in and that pain skyrocketed once she realized that it was all a ruse.

Going to get her memory wiped was the sure fire way to stop her pain, according to her at the current moment. And it’s kind of terrifying and heartbreaking to realize that this is a kind of suicide. I’m serious. She knew that it could all be fucked up and she could end up in a similar situation as Myfanwy. But she didn’t care because the pain was so grab that erasing a part of her seemed like the only way to survive.

If only we had something like this present in our world. If only we could step up to someone, think about the pain that we have survived through, and have it go away as easily as breathing. But shit like this never goes the way you plan. Pain doesn’t simply go away because we wish it or find a kid to erase our memories. Pain survives and lingers until you confront it.

For Monica Reed, it all depends on the kind of person she’ll be when she wakes up. Will it have failed, making her confront her pain instead of running from it? Or will it have worked so wonderfully that now she’s a lost person who doesn’t know who she is and eventually following a path like Myfanwy and STILL having to face her pain. One way or another, we’re here for it and everything to come for Monica Reed on The Rook!

The Rook season 2 hasn’t been confirmed yet.

What did you think of the season finale of The Rook? Let us know in the comments section below!